Scientific Initiatives / Cancer

Scientific Initiatives

Forget everything you know about cancer.

We have a plan to fundamentally change cancer
research. Using powerful new experimental
methods and technologies, Salk scientists will
unlock cancer’s mysteries and translate discoveries
into better therapies. Much work remains, but we
see a future where every cancer and every patient
has a cure.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States,
surpassed only by heart disease. More than 1.6 million new cases will
be diagnosed in 2013, and about 577,190 Americans will die of it—
more than 1,500 people a day. Although the five-year relative survival rate
for all cancers diagnosed is 67 percent, up from 49 percent in 1975-77,
survival statistics vary greatly by cancer type and stage at diagnosis,
and the need for more research remains great. Identifying the cellular
pathways of growth and metabolism in tumors, developing intelligent
nanomachines that diagnose and destroy cancers, and unraveling
how cancers override the shortening of telomeres, the protective caps
on the end of chromosomes, are just some of the promising areas that
Salk scientists have identified for further research. Using new technological
tools they will model cancer’s many variations in mice leading to an
ability to design therapies that target the pathways and mutations that
produce a cancer.

For this reason, as part of the first-ever Campaign for Salk,
the Institute is seeking greatly expanded private support.
The Cancer Initiative will provide Salk’s scientists with
the additional equipment, facilities and expertise they
need to tackle the most challenging problems in cancer
research. Using the latest scientific methods and
technologies, from stem cells to computational approaches,
they will explore the cellular mechanisms that allow
cancers to arise and spread and they will develop better
ways to fight tumors at the molecular level.

This focused effort will enable them to continue their
progress toward vital discoveries and press ahead at an
accelerated pace. With your help, Salk scientists will
redefine the frontiers of cancer research and lead the
way to revolutionary new treatments.

To deliver the next major breakthroughs in cancer research,
the Salk Cancer Center needs philanthropic support in
three critical areas:

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
It will be essential to add experts to the Salk faculty
in two critical areas: 1) cancer metastasis, the study of how
cancer spreads in the body, and 2) cancer epigenetics,
research into the layer of genetic control beyond the
DNA sequence that is altered in cancer cells.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS PROGRAMS
Salk plans to launch two innovative postdoctoral fellowship
programs: 1) the Translational Postdoctoral Fellows Program
will bring in clinically trained scientists to bridge the
gap between research laboratories and the clinic;
2) the Bioinformatics Postdoctoral Fellows Program will
support Salk scientists’ use of advanced computational
methods in their research.

CANCER FRONTIERS FORUM
The Salk Cancer Center will launch a first-of-its-kind
Cancer Frontiers Forum to tackle the intractable
problems of cancer biology. This forum will bring
together international leaders in cancer research and
will support implementation of innovative research
projects that emerge from the meetings.

Salk cancer scientists know what they need to do next to
generate new therapies for patients. With investments in
new equipment, facilities and expertise, they are eager
to use cutting-edge technologies to:

Develop a guide to the runaway molecular
machinery of cancer cells

Create new cellular and animal models to
rapidly translate discoveries into new therapies

Explain how cancer cells metabolize nutrients
and how this can be leveraged to destroy tumors

Explore the nature and significance of
cancer stem cells and how different types
of cancer cells originate

Use telomeres—protective caps on the ends
of chromosomes—to kill cancer cells